


Homecoming

by iavenjqasdf



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, Offscreen smut, gay as fuck fluffy nerds, get used to it, it's all here, it's all queer, owain is such a dork, protect brady at all costs, udobure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-04
Updated: 2015-08-04
Packaged: 2018-04-12 22:17:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4496802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iavenjqasdf/pseuds/iavenjqasdf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Brady eagerly awaits the return of his long-gone lover</p>
            </blockquote>





	Homecoming

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a late night chat with @udobures (who also co-wrote) about Brady's fate in Fates when Owain leaves for Nohr. We just couldn't stand our precious cinnamon roll being lonely so I came up with this stupid divergent AU headcanon WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT I JUST WANT HIM TO BE HAPPY OKAY

There was a knock at the door, rousing the priest who was drifting off sitting at the kitchen table. The emptiness of their house took its toll on him; come Friday, he would eagerly sit by the door all day awaiting his beloved’s return.

How long has it been since he last saw Owain? He usually came home on the weekends, but sometimes Leon required more of his time, and he would only be able to return for a hurried meal or a quickie before departing once more. Brady tried not to keep count, but it had definitely been a couple of weeks since they had shared the bed for the whole night. He missed his lover’s warmth, the grandiose declarations of affection he’d shower upon the blushing healer in the early morning hours, his goofy, sincere smile. Their cat was fine company, of course, but aside from visits to the market and the occasional (and literal) run in with Cynthia, Brady didn’t get much human interaction, and it left him wanting.

“I beseech thee, Sir Brady, come to my assistance, and unlatch the portcullis that bars my entry to our peaceful residence!” he heard his boyfriend wax poetic from the other side of the door, probably lifting his arm and posing in some dramatic fashion. Brady’s eyes lit up with excitement, and he rushed to the door, his normally dextrous fingers fumbling with the knob.

At last he got it open, and he barely had a chance to greet his lover before he was knocked back by one of his powerful bear hugs. Brady squeaked slightly; despite “Odin’s” preference for tomes to swords, his arm muscles hadn’t atrophied in the slightest, thanks to the constant exercise they received with his constant flourishes and poses. Owain caught the priest by surprise as he lifted him into the air and tried to twirl him around, but one of Brady's lanky legs caught in the door frame, causing the shorter man to lose his balance and sending them both sprawling to the floor.

Brady's thick robes broke his fall (he wore them around the house, both as guard against the drafts, and because they felt familiar and comforting), and Owain laughed heartily as he propped himself up on one arm to face his companion at last.

"Hark! It is I, Odin of Nohr, fearless dark mage and assistant to Prince Leon, returning from my duties to my humble home, to spend time gathering my strength with the help of my beautiful, teary-eyed husband!" Owain boasted, beaming one of his signature heart-melting smiles at the priest, voice echoing through the house. He paused after a sorrowful look fell over Brady’s face. Owain’s grin slowly faded, replaced with a more concerned expression. “Brady? What’s the matter? Does my presence not cause your loins to quiver with delight?”

Tears trickled down a familiar path from Brady's eyes, pooling on the stone floor by his head. He let out a single heavy exhale and grit his teeth. "I've missed ya, y-ya jackass! Didja have a-any idea how long I gotta wait for yer sorry ass to get back here!?" he sobbed as he sat up to embrace the ridiculously-attired man, burying his face in Owain's chest to muffle his cries, to assure himself that he really was back at last. He felt the mage's fingers gently stroking his hair. "And ya can drop that ‘Odin’ malarkey; ‘round here, 'yer always gonna be Owain to me."

Brady soon recovered from his outburst, and looked up to meet Owain's gaze at last, taking a few deep breaths before attempting to let out another word. "But I'm jes' glad 'yer back,” he murmured, “Are ya gonna stay the night?" He tried to keep his tone even, but the pleading in his eyes betrayed his thoughts; seeing his beloved again, only to have him torn away for another weekend of work, would be like ripping a bandage off a wound that hadn't yet clotted.

"Fear not, o beloved! I have, in fact, been granted leave for the entire week, while Master Leon and the rest of the royal family enjoy their retreat to a tropical resort!" came the reply, accompanied by a peck on the nose.

Brady furrowed his brow even as his cheeks reddened from the kiss. "Well, ain't that nice of 'em, goin' on vacation and not invitin' their best helper..."

"Ah, but I was invited! Alas, even the temptation of frozen treats and splashing waves upon the sand could not tempt me to deviate from my path home!" Now it was Owain's turn to clutch Brady, squeezing him tight as he dropped his usual theatrics for a moment. "I, too, long for your presence, SIr Brady. I wouldn't give up this opportunity for anything!"

Tears prickled in Brady’s eyes again, tiny butterflies fluttering in his gut at the words. They maintained their embrace for a few moments, before disentangling and getting to their feet. "Now, a hero of my caliber works up quite the appetite! I eagerly await to see what manner of delightful feast has been prepared in my honor!"

Brady smirked warmly (something Owain never thought possible before he saw it). "I getcha, oh ‘hero’. Dinner's almost ready. But fer the love of Naga, can ya change outta that ridiculous getup 'fore we eat?"

Owain chuckled. "What, does the sight of my bared, rippling abdominals and firm pectorals not arouse your... curiosity?" he purred mockingly, approaching Brady and running a hand down the priest’s side. Brady blushed and turned away in response.

"Sure it does, but now ain't the time. We'll get to that business after supper."

"Of course! A true hero always postpones his affections until his lover is fully prepared to receive them!" Owain called as he bounded towards their bedroom to change. Brady sighed, smiling wearily. As ridiculous as it could get, he was glad to see Owain's boisterous personality had survived coming to this dimension fully intact. He wouldn’t have had it any other way.

* * *

Dinner passed without much conversation, both boys digging into their meals with gusto. Owain chewed with his mouth open, crumbs and flecks of food falling to his plate. Brady couldn’t help but smile; even after long periods dining with the prim and proper royal family, he was the same slob at the table he always was. Brady himself took a more measured approach, daintily cutting into his food with a fork and knife as he had been taught, but working with such efficiency that his plate emptied at an even faster rate than Owain's.

It was only when the edge had been taken off his appetite that Owain finally stopped shoveling food into his gullet long enough to form a sentence. He tapped his fork against his raised glass to signal for attention. "It is with great difficulty that I interrupt this delicious meal to propose a toast." he began. Brady swallowed his food and picked up his own glass, waiting for the poet to continue.

"Today marks the passage of one year since we departed our homeland of Ylisse to seek out our fates in this realm. It has not been a simple task, maintaining my new identity and prancing about in the chilly weather in this skimpy costume," he paused as a knowing chuckle left Brady, "but I say with the utmost certainty that it would have all been for naught if it hadn't been for the wonderful man who sits before me today." His eyes twinkled as looked into Brady's. "Brady, you are my beacon of purity and hope in the murky depths of this conflict. You are the bandage that mends my broken heart and bones after every battle. If it wasn't for your affection and support, I would have no reason to keep going. So, I dedicate this toast to you, Sir Brady of the Moistened Eyes. You are the greatest companion any man could wish for, and the love of my life."

Brady was unable to hold back the tears that spilled over his eyelids once more. His heart fluttered as they clinked glasses, his boyfriend's words filling him with warmth. He cleared his throat and spoke. “Ah… I ain’t good with these big speeches, ‘specially after one as fancy as that. I jes' can’t believe it’s been a year already. Feels like it was yesterday I was wishin' my ma goodbye…” Brady’s voice choked at the memory, but he pressed on. “Anyway, I’m always thinkin’ about our old friends back home, but I’m glad I could come be here with ya, Owain. I dunno what I’d do without ya.” He silently cursed his lack of eloquence, but Owain seemingly paid it no mind, a toothy grin lighting up his face.

They touched glasses once more, and returned their attention to the feast Brady had cooked. Kashik hopped onto the table, but Brady felt generous, so he let him stay and pick at some morsels that had fallen astray of Owain's plate. For the first time in what felt like ages, Brady was at peace, knowing his companion was safe and sound here before him.

* * *

It was after their lovemaking, as Brady lay in Owain's arms, tears of joy drying on his cheeks, that he finally decided to speak up. "Owain... I've been thinkin'; why me? You had yer pick of all these gorgeous dames and fellas... why'd ya settle 'fer me?"

Owain frowned. "What sort of question is that? I settled for nothing!"

"That's what I'm sayin'. Ya settled for nothin'... And I’m nothin’," Brady sighed.

Owain felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He'd always be there to help his boyfriend work through his many anxieties, of course, but he had hoped they wouldn't flare up tonight.

"I mean, yer always out there fightin' and adventurin' and proctectin' us all, and whadda I do? I can't fight, and ya say I shouldn't offer my healin' services to keep my identity hidden. What's left fer me to do but sit at home, twiddlin' my thumbs while yer out savin' the world?" the priest continued, curling up slightly, as if to shield himself from some outside force. Owain clutched him tighter.

"Brady... what is a tree without its roots? A home without a foundation? I wouldn't still be alive if you weren't around to patch me up after the battles back home, just as you'd likely have perished without my sword hand offering its services to cut down those in our path! It's not a matter of you being a burden or earning your keep; you're an equal. I need you just as much as you need me. You complete me, and knowing that your beautiful smile and delicious cooking is waiting for me at home when I return is what drives me to fight so hard when I’m away. You're always with me, Brady, even if you're not present."

"I know, ya keep tellin' me that, but... I'm just ‘fraid one day yer gonna get tired of my malarkey and-" Brady stopped, wishing he could slap himself for letting such an insensitive comment almost slip through.

"And nothing, Brady. I wish for you to be by my side, tears and all, from now until the end, whenever that may be."

Brady sniffled, too tired to truly cry again, but allowing the tears to leak out nonetheless. "Ya really mean that?"

"I've never been more sure about something in my life," Owain smiled, tightening his grip to emphasize his point.

"T-thank ya..." Brady managed to wheeze; Owain's hugs felt like what he imagined having a python around him would, except ending in kisses rather than being swallowed whole. He felt Owain's arms loosen once more, and he laid his head against his shoulder. "Good night, 'Odin'," he whispered with a smirk as his consciousness faded away, worries of the present cast aside if but for a night.

**Author's Note:**

> I WAS CONSIDERING WRITING THE SMUT BUT IT'S JUST TOO FLUFFY MAYBE ANOTHER TIME


End file.
